Malaria

7 December 2017 – In recent years, countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) have accelerated their efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria. According to the latest bulletin from WHO, the reported number of malaria cases and deaths in the GMS fell by 74% and 91%, respectively, between 2012 and 2016. Mid-year estimates for 2017 point to a further decline in cases.

29 November 2017 – After an unprecedented period of success in global malaria control, progress has stalled, according to the latest World malaria report. In 2016, there were an estimated 216 million cases of malaria in 91 countries, an increase of about 5 million cases over 2015. Deaths reached 445 000, a similar number to the previous year. “Without urgent action, we risk going backwards and missing the global malaria targets for 2020 and beyond,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.

7 November 2017 – A new interactive map showing malaria vector resistance, P. falciparum gene deletions, and antimalarial efficacy and resistance has been released. Such information is critical to inform appropriate malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies and to guide the development of new tools. WHO is seeking user feedback on this early release version available in English, French and Spanish.

3 November 2017 – The Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC), which brings together some of the world’s foremost experts on the disease, provides essential guidance to WHO for the development of global policy recommendations on malaria. Read the report of the latest MPAC meeting as well as a special series of interviews with the 5 women currently serving as members on the Committee.

31 October 2017 – In Nigeria’s Borno State, malaria is currently the leading cause of death and claims more lives than all other diseases combined. Children under the age of 5 are particularly vulnerable. WHO recently launched a special campaign in this state aimed at rapidly reducing the malaria burden among young children and, at the same time, protecting them against polio.

Closing the prevention gap

This new publication, Malaria prevention works: let's close the gap, focuses on core vector control measures and preventive treatment strategies for the most vulnerable groups in Africa: pregnant women, infants and children under age five.

World Malaria Report

The World Malaria Report, released each year in December, is WHO’s flagship malaria publication. It contains the latest available data on malaria policies, interventions and trends in all endemic countries.

Global Technical Strategy

The Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 calls for a reduction in global malaria incidence and mortality rates of at least 90% by 2030. It shares the same timeline as the Sustainable Development Goals.

More on malaria

Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. P. falciparum is the most prevalent malaria parasite in Africa and responsible for most malaria deaths globally. P. vivax is the dominant parasite outside of sub-Saharan Africa.